Rik Jam – Hail The King Forever

Rik Jam is back with a reworking of his 2023 hit – and it makes for an interesting listen.

Hail The King Forever, released via Irie Yute Tapes, takes Jam’s 2023 hit Hail The King (across the Awaking Riddim) and moves it forward. The original was a traditional Roots track, with the signature bubble rhythm keys, drop-beat bass, and one drop drums. However, across the Forever reimagining we see producer Phillip McFarlane bring something more RnB to proceedings – while keeping the Roots basis in place.

The track opens with some distinctly RnB vibes: a lilting electric organ line, before McFarlane’s keys come in across a delicate melody. Backing vocals complement this and then the main composition enters.

Bubble rhythm keys still wind around the track, as does Nnambi Robinson’s skanking guitar line and Junior Ivey’s drop-beat bass. The latter is here more picked though than on the original, plus it is less rounded, slightly sharper, and creates a lighter atmosphere accordingly. Drums are in some respects almost periphery here – still on a one drop but more to the back than on the original, most notably the kick which is barely audible.

There’s pleasing use of the electric organ, heavily vibrato’d and delicate, which swerves between a bubble rhythm and some runs. A secondary guitar juts in and out at points, with some pleasing, whining riffs. However, the icing on the instrumental cake is the horn section. The sax from industry stalwart Sheldon Palmer and trombone from Randy Fletcher are expertly arranged – filled with musical peaking and troughing, helping the track build to certain points and then fall away again.

This ties in perfectly with the overall arrangement, which again leans into RnB. From the opening this vibe is revisited across pointed breaks which are stark, then lush, but always equally effective – seeing the instrumentation rise and fall, and then return. The ending ties the track together – fading away into something RnB as well. Overall, the engineering and mastering aid and abet the composition – bringing richness and warmth to the light and airy cut, creating a perfect balance between the two.

Jam’s vocal is superb, and finishes Hail The King Forever off perfectly. He has a very pleasing tenor – slightly horizontal in terms of embouchure but with a crystalline quality and extremely well controlled. He gives a sincere performance, filled with dynamic light and shade but with consistent rhythmic movement across the main, Roots-based elements of the song. However, he also comes into his own on the RnB-influenced sections where he smooths his vocal out at times into something richer and more pensive – not least the closing, where Jam flits effortlessly up into a very controlled falsetto moving around an impressively large register overall. Lyrically, the track is a pleasing praising of Jah – and this reimagined version feels like it fits that narrative even better.

Overall, Hail The King Forever is – dare we say it – an improvement on the original. Musically far more intricate and inventive, it lends itself perfectly to the base riddim but has enhanced it with aplomb. Jam is a very talented and listenable performer with a great voice – and overall, this track, plus the artist himself, are surely ones to watch.

Rik Jam Hail The King Forever Review Review by Mr Topple